REVIEW w/foodie porn pix! Vietnamese Soycafe - A Hidden Gem in Silver Lake/Los Feliz

[Bon Vivant]

For foodie porn pix click: http://myculinaryadventures.blogspot.com

If you race up and down Hyperion in order to hit the green light at Lyric (or Fountain, as the case may be) you might miss the lilliputian Vietnamese Soycafe. If you are a true foodie, you’ll see a glimpse of it out of the corner of your eye. The first thing that you’ll notice is that it is not open on Fridays and Saturdays. This piques your interest.

You finally go there one Sunday morning after being intrigued by the limited but unique menu that you happen to look at through the window one Saturday when the pet food store was not yet open and you needed to kill some time, so you walked up the block to check this quirky place out.

Below, a cup of cinnamon soymilk:

If you usually buy your soymilk at Trader Joe’s you have not had soymilk until you’ve had it at the Vietnamese Soycafe. Viet, the warm and personable owner, makes the organic soymilk in house. Other flavors include black sesame, mint, and yerba mate. It’s a better deal to buy a quart and share it with someone – you’ll end up with twice as much for about the same price.

Below, a double Vietnamese coffee – you are in heaven.

Below, the jicama fresh rolls:

These are wonderful. You cannot eat the peanut sauce with which they are served (or you’ll take a trip to migraineville) but it doesn’t matter; the texture is perfect and the minimalist flavors blend so well together.

Below, the overwhelmingly popular lemongrass chicken banh mi:

You pledge that next time you’ll order the green onion and sardine banh mi. There is also a vegetarian option: the shitake mushroom and tofu.

Below, two views of the Sunday special bun with tumeric whitefish:

You’ve heard about this dish through the foodie grapevine, and you purposely came here on a Sunday just to get it. It surpasses all of your expectations; it’s so simple and lovely. You’ve declared this the best dish in LA County since the late Kuala Lumpur’s wonton laksa.

Below, the soyskin mushroom bun and the soynugs:

On a health kick? You’ll have to try the “C Shot” – Viet’s upscale version of the uber-cleansing detox libation of lemon juice and cayenne pepper.

Vietnamese Soycafe
1997 Hyperion Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027

[Chowpatty]

Thanks, I've been meaning to get back there since they added to the menu. I enjoyed the sardine bahn mi and the coffee before, but I'll try the whitefish next time. Also the homemade tofu with ginger was good as I recall...

[Cicely]

I love the turmeric whitefish bun. *sigh*. But I didn't know it was a Sunday special?? I've had it for lunch on a weekday. Also I first had it at the Silverlake Saturday farmers market.

oh yeah, and the tofu ginger is good too. It's slightly sweetened and very soft, like custard.

[Bon Vivant]

I was under the impression that one could only get it on Sundays but I guess that is wrong (yay!) Does Viet have a stand at the Sat farmers market? I would love to have his food on a Saturday as well.

http://myculinaryadventures.blogspot....

[slacker]

dang, I missed this. Next time I'll focus on visualizing a parking space in Silver Lake.

[patz]

I just tried this place (based on your review), it was amazing. The guy working said that they're opening up a new (larger) restaurant in Atwater - does anyone know anything about it? Soycafe will stay open, but this place will have a larger menu...